One Split Second
by curlymonic1215
Summary: All it takes is one split second for a parents worst nightmare to come true
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, Brenda Hampton does. The only character I own is A.J, Amy's daughter.

_Amy fell to the bed in exhaustion, tears of joy welling into her eyes as she heard the baby's first cry. She couldn't believe it was over. She had survived the pregnancy. Now all she had to do was survive a parenthood. That didn't matter though. All she wanted now was to meet her beautiful new child._

"_Congratulations Amy. It's a girl."_

_Amy smiled, holding out her arms to hold the baby. She looked up at her mother who nodded, helping her to adjust herself to hold the baby properly._

"_Oh Amy, she's gorgeous. Look, she has your eyes," said her mother in awe, the newborn settling rather quickly into her mother's arms._

_Amy nodded, entranced by everything about her new child, her daughter._

_After a few moments the nurse took the little girl, needing to wash her up. Amy closed her eyes with the promise that they'd return her daughter in a few hours, encouraging Amy to relax and sleep in the mean time. When the nurses left she looked up at her mother, sighing in relief._

"_I can't believe I'm a mother," whispered Amy and her mom nodded, sitting in the chair beside the bed._

"_Amy…I hate to ask you this now but, what about Ricky?" she asked and Amy let out a biter laugh, rolling her eyes at the thought of him._

"_What about him? He doesn't want anything to do with the baby. He made that clear," said Amy, her voice bitter and cold as she spoke of him._

"_Even so, he deserves to know of the birth of his daughter. After all, she is legally his child too," reasoned her mother and Amy shook her head._

"_No, mom. She is not his daughter, she's mine. I don't want him to have anything to do with her, ever," replied Amy, her voice leaving no room for argument. Her mother caved in, not wanting to frustrate Amy at that moment. She made a mental note however to bring the subject back up when Amy had more strength, and hopefully a more sound mind._

"_Do you have any thoughts on what you want to name her?" asked her mom and Amy nodded, knowing she had finally come to a conclusion after much thought about the subject. She had found out the sex of the baby early on, almost soon after making the decision to keep the baby. Almost instantly she had decided upon a name, choosing to keep it a secret until today had arrived._

"_Yeah, I have. Ashley Anne Juergens. It's the perfect name for her," whispered Amy, looking up to see tears in her mother's eyes._

"_I love you Amy," she whispered and Amy smiled._

"_I love you too mom. Love you too," she whispered before closing her eyes, knowing she needed to get all the energy she could before she saw her little girl again._

(Three Years Later)

"Mommy, look!" cried A.J as Amy walked through the doors, dropping her backpack by the door.

"Hey baby. What's going on?" she asked as she swooped A.J into her arms, carrying her into the living room.

"Hey honey. How was your day?" asked her mother and Amy sighed, sitting onto the couch.

"Exhausting. Where's Ashley?" asked Amy and A.J squealed, jumping up into her mother's lap.

"Right here mommy!" cried A.J and Amy laughed.

"Not you silly, Auntie Ashley," she explained and A.J shrugged, going back to the blocks scattered around the living room floor.

"Stayed late for something. Can I talk to you in the kitchen?" asked her mom and Amy nodded, disliking the sudden change in atmosphere. She tussled A.J's hair once more before heading into the kitchen.

"What's up?" asked Amy, grabbing an apple from the counter.

"You got a phone call today…from Ricky. Amy you can't keep avoiding him. This is the fourth phone call this week," claimed her mother and Amy sighed, looking into the living room as she saw A.J moving on to a doll she'd gotten for her second birthday a few months earlier.

"Why now? He hasn't been around in three years and he wants to see her now. What's changed?" asked Amy and her mom sighed, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"Time sweetheart. Time has changed and maybe he's realizing what he's missing out on by not being in A.J's life," said Anne and Amy rolled her eyes at the thought.

"Yeah well he may have changed, but my mind hasn't. He abandoned me when he found out I was pregnant. He doesn't deserve the chance to be in A.J's life…and I'll call him tonight and tell him just that," said Amy, not saying anything else as she walked back into the living room to be with her daughter.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey there, it's Philip (philgraves0215

A/N: Hey there, it's Philip (philgraves0215.) Curlymonic1215 and I will be both writing this story together. She will be writing one chapter, and I will be writing the next, and so on and so forth until it's finished. This chapter is one that I will be writing, and every other chapter from now on will be, too.

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Brenda Hampton does. I don't even own A.J., Amy's daughter. That goes to my co-author, curlymonic1215**

Chapter 2

The phone rang later that night, just as Amy was putting A.J. to bed. Amy looked at the caller I.D. It was Ricky.

Great, she thought, just who I want to talk to right now.

"Hello?" Amy asked as he answered the phone.

"Amy, man it's good to hear your voice again." Ricky said over the phone.

"Ricky, what are you doing calling me?" Amy asked. "You know I don't want to have anything to do with you!"

"Hey, calm down! I'm not here to cause trouble. I just want to talk. How's A.J. doing?"

"Why do you care? You abandoned me AND the baby! You have no right to even talk to her!"

"Actually, yes I do have a right. Technically, it's my baby too, and that entitles me to visitation rights."

Amy sighed. She knew this was true, she just didn't think that Ricky would be smart enough to realize this.

"All right, what do you want to do?"

"I just want to see her. Maybe we could meet up at the park sometime. Say, Saturday at noon?"

Amy thought about it for a second. "Fine, but if you're even a minute late, we're leaving, and you can take it up with the court system."

"Don't worry, I'll be there."

Amy hung up the phone and sighed. "What did I get myself into?" she said to herself.

Saturday

"Now, are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" Amy's mom asked.

"Mom, for the millionth time, I need to do this alone." She replied. She wasn't looking forward to this.

"Come on A.J, we're going to the park. There's someone who wants to meet you!" Amy said in an enthusiastic voice, even though this was the last thing that she wanted to do.

She got to the park at 11:30, so that if and when Ricky failed to show up, she wouldn't be too disappointed. But it was Amy that was disappointed when Ricky arrived, right on time.

"Hey gorgeous, how you doin'?" Ricky asked.

"Oh, shut up! You know, I still am a little confused as to why you even want to do this."

"I was young and stupid. I've changed, and it's for the better. I just want to be apart of my daughter's life."

"She's not your daughter!" Amy said, a little to loud. She pulled Ricky aside, embarrassed. "She's not your daughter!" She whispered. "And you're not her father. If anyone would be considered the father, I'd say that it's Ben. While he's not the genetic father, I think he's better suited for the position than you!"

"It doesn't matter! I am her father, and I will be her father for life, whether or not you approve of it or choose to accept it. I DO have rights, and I will be exercising them. I will be getting visitation every week, plus she'll spend weekends with me. If you have a problem with that, you can take it up with the court system."

"You know what, you can call the cops, because you'll NEVER get to see MY daughter again!"

Amy pushed Ricky to the ground and turned around to get A.J, but there was just one problem with that.

A.J. was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

She listened as the police spoke, talking about everything they'd put forth to help find A.J. Ben sat by her side, rubbing his hand on her back in circles, trying to help her concentrate long enough to answer the officer's questions. The task seemed extraordinarily difficult at the moment. All she wanted was to hold A.J in her arms and tell her daughter how much she loved her. That wasn't possible though. Instead she was here, listening to police officers tell her that they were doing everything possible to find her three-year-old daughter who may have been _kidnapped_.

"Ms. Juergens, you mentioned something about A.J's father being at the scene? Is he a part of A.J's everyday life?" asked one of the officers and Amy shook her head, refusing to look anybody in the eye.

"No, he was only there to talk with me about custody issues. He hasn't ever been involved with A.J," whispered Amy, her mind wandering to Ricky.

He had taken off shortly after realizing A.J was gone. He claimed he was going to search the roads, making up some excuse of maybe she ran off somewhere. Amy knew her daughter better than that though. She was only three-years-old. She wouldn't just take off like some runaway teenager.

"Custody issues? Does he want more time with A.J?" asked the officer and Amy nodded.

"Yeah, he says he's changed, that he wants to be a father now. I don't want him to have anything to do with A.J though," she said, becoming a little more alert now.

"Ms. Juergens, do you believe A.J's father has anything to do with her disappearance?"

Amy looked up at the officer, suddenly very alert.

"I…I don't know. I don't think so, he was talking to me when I first noticed A.J had disappeared," said Amy and the officer nodded, writing something down on his notepad.

"And he didn't stick around after you realized she had disappeared?" questioned the officer.

"No, but it doesn't surprise me. He's not a parent. He wouldn't understand the severity of the situation," said Amy, suddenly wondering if there was a possibility that Ricky _was_ involved somehow.

"Ms. Juergens, do you have a number we could reach her father at? We would like to question him," said the officer and Amy nodded, easily handing over his information.

If it came to be that Ricky had anything to do with her daughter's disappearance, she would never forgive him.

Amy lied silently in bed, tears streaming down her face. How could she let this happen to her daughter? How could she have taken her eyes off A.J when she knew the importance of watching her every second of every moment. How could she let A.J down like this?

A knock on the door startled Amy, knowing full well that Ben had left an hour earlier, needing to get home before his curfew. They did still have school tomorrow, but Amy didn't want to go. A.J's disappearance was all over the news. Everybody would know about it. Everybody would blame her.

"Amy?"

The sound of her sister's voice brought more tears to her eyes. Within seconds Ashley was sitting at the edge of the bed, gently brushing a strand of hair from her sister's devastated eyes.

She knew she had grown more soft and caring over the past few years, ever since her father left their family and Amy became pregnant. She was nowhere near as rebellious as she used to be, but that flare still showed on occasion. At the moment though all she felt was sadness for her sister and niece who was lost and alone, without the people who loved her the most to protect her.

"Mom's making some tea. She said it will help…you know, with stuff," said Ashley and Amy couldn't help the bitter laugh that escaped.

"Will it bring A.J home?" she asked, and Ashley chewed her lip, pulling her sister from the laying position, gently hugging her, as if she would break if she hugged her too hard.

"I'm not going to lie and say A.J will be fine or were all going to get through this. It's going to be difficult. We just have to stay strong, like we did all those years ago after dad left and you were pregnant. Remember how mom always said that as long as we have each other, somehow things will work out? I didn't believe it then Amy but after witnessing everything that's changed and seeing how everything did work out…I believe it now," said Ashley, steadying Amy as she helped her sister out of bed.

Amy stopped in the doorway, remembering the day A.J was born and remembering just how she had come to be named Ashley Anne Juergens.

She hugged her sister again, forcing a smile for Ashley.

"I love you," she whispered and Ashley rolled her eyes.

"Love you too Amy," she said as she continued down the stairs, knowing A.J was out there and needed to be found, but knowing her sister needed to be saved just as much.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Once again, this is philgraves0215

**A/N: Once again, this is philgraves0215. This chapter belongs to ME!**

"Okay son, I'll give you one more chance to talk to me." The officer said to Ricky.

"And I'll give you one more chance to get out of my apartment. I've told you already, I'm NOT talking to you without a lawyer. If you want to talk to me that badly, you'll have to arrest me."

"Well, will you come down to the station with us at least? You can bring a lawyer if you want." The officer said.

"No. Look, are you going to arrest me, or not? If you are, do it. If you're not, then leave me alone, okay? I have some things to take care of." Ricky replied.

The officer was just about to respond when his cell rang.

"Officer Robertson," The officer said to the person on the other end of the phone. His expression grew extremely serious. "What? When? Where?" He was firing questions like bullets. "I'll be there in 10." He was just about to leave when he faced Ricky and said, "I swear son, if you have ANYTHING to do with this young girl's disappearance, I will personally make sure you're behind bars for a long, long time."

Amy's house, 10 minutes earlier…

"Hello?" Amy said as she answered the phone.

"Hello Amy." A dark voice replied.

"Who is this?" Amy said, immediately panicking.

"Oh, that's not important right now. What's important is how much you're willing to go through to see your daughter again."

Amy looked at the caller I.D. _Private Caller,_ it said.

"What do you want? Where are you? Is A.J. all right?

"Patience, child. All will become clear shortly. If you go to the abandoned warehouse underneath the highway, you'll see my demands."

"Why can't you tell them to me right now?" Amy said, trying to stall, but the caller on the other line hung up. _Great, just my luck._ She thought. The cops were taping all of her calls so they could trace them for later use, and she knew that the call wasn't long enough for them to be able to trace it.

She was just thinking about how scared A.J. must be, sitting there, all alone with no one to hold her.

At the Warehouse…

Amy arrived at the warehouse just minutes before the cops did. (She had called them immediately after receiving the call.) Sure enough, there was a ransom note.

_Hello Amy,_

_If you're reading this, then that means that you want your daughter back. I know you're probably wondering who I am. Let's just say that you know me. You know me REALLY well. I also know A.J. pretty well too. I don't see her that often, but you have no idea how thrilled I am to be able to see her by myself, for the first time since she was born. Which, by the way, why didn't you call me to let me know that my daughter was being born? Oh well, the past is the past, I suppose._

_By now, you're wondering if A.J. is alive. Don't worry about that. She's alive and well. And that'll stay that way, too, just as long as you meet my demands._

_My only demand is simple. Money. I want one million dollars in unmarked bills. No, I don't want the cops to get it for you. I want you to get it. I want you to work for it. I'll give you some advice. Bank accounts, credit cards, etc. Take some money out._

_That's all. Remember, follow my demands, and A.J. will be fine. If you can't meet them, however, she'll die. You have one week._

_Signed,_

_The Dad._

As Amy read through the note, her heart sank. She knew that she wouldn't be able to get a million dollars in a week. But she had to try. She had to do it for A.J.

And herself.


	5. Chapter 5

"Did you write this letter Ricky?"

"No! I didn't write that letter and I didn't take my own daughter! Now leave me alone!" cried Ricky, slamming his fist to the table. How could these people actually believe he would take A.J from her family? He wasn't that cruel. He knew what it was like to be ripped away from the only family you knew. He would _never_ inflict that kind of pain on his own child, even if he didn't get to see her as often as he wanted.

"Ricky, please remain calm. There is a little girl out there that we need to find and we are doing everything in the realm of reasonable to find her," said the officer and Ricky let out a sigh of frustration. He just wanted to see his daughter. He had never wanted her to be taken from Amy. He knew how much that little girl meant to Amy. He would never hurt her like that.

"I didn't kidnap A.J, and I didn't write that letter. I love her and I wouldn't inflict that kind of pain on her or her family," said Ricky, trying to control his anger.

"Okay Ricky, just a few more questions…" said the officer, Ricky taking another breath before focusing back on the officer.

(Amy's House)

"What am I going to do mom? I can't come up with the money to get A.J back," cried Amy, allowing her mom to pull her into her arms, rocking her gently in her arms.

"Oh Amy, I know honey. The police are going to help you though. They're talking to Ricky right now sweetie. They'll find A.J and they'll bring her home where she belongs," whispered Anne, soothing back Amy's hair.

Ashley watched from the doorway, unsure of what to do or say. She couldn't believe somebody would just snatch A.J and take her away from the only family she knew. She couldn't believe Ricky might possibly have something to do with it.

"Mom, what if they don't find her? What if Ricky doesn't confess? Or worse? What if he…what if he hurts her?" questioned Amy, her voice breaking as she thought of all the possibilities. Anne sighed, trying not to show her own pain as she comforted Amy. She was so young and so much had happened to her in the past few years. She didn't deserve this. Nobody deserved this.

"I don't know honey. I wish I did, but I don't. All I know is the police are doing everything they can to find A.J…everything they can," she whispered, allowing Amy to cry into her chest, holding her for as long as she needed to be held.

(The Police Station)

"Did he confess to anything?"

Officer Robertson sighed as he looked through the plexi-glass window, shaking his head as he thought about the facts. All they knew was that there was a letter supposedly written by Ricky, but he wasn't confessing to anything, and the lie detector test had come up clean. He was having his doubts.

"What if…what if there was a possibility that somebody was trying to frame Ricky? To throw the tracks off of them?" asked officer Robertson, the other officer looking at him skeptically.

"Do you think that's a possibility?" he asked and Robertson nodded, checking his watch.

"I think anything's a possibility, but yes, I this is a strong possibility," said Robertson and this time the other officer nodded.

"So contact Amy…I think we have to find this out…and quickly, because a little girls safety is at stake."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything!**

A/N: Okay, for those of you that are guessing who the kidnapper is, we're not going to tell you. However, you will find out… soon. And, for those of you that are thinking, we're NOT Ben haters! We actually don't hate anyone on the show!

"Amy, do you think that there is a possibility that it's _not_ Ricky?" Officer Robertson asked.

"Excuse me? Of course not! I am almost positive that Ricky's the kidnapper. Sorry, I _am_ positive that it's Ricky!"

"Well, the thing is, there's no evidence directly linking him to the crime, and the lie detector was clean."

"So? Is it my fault that you guys can't do your jobs right? Is it my fault that you can't collect evidence at a crime scene? No! And besides, even I know a way to beat a polygraph! All you have to do is look on the Internet! It's not that hard! So, I suggest you guys get your asses out there and go look for my daughter! She's out there scared! She doesn't know where she's with, or who she's with! START DOING YOUR JOB!!" Amy screamed, sobbing hysterically.

"Look, we're doing the best we can!"

"Well your best isn't good enough! Your best isn't going to help me find my daughter! Your best is going to get her killed!" Amy looked through the Plexiglas window. She saw Ricky's face. She looked through those cold eyes, and she knew. She knew that Ricky had already done it. He had already killed her daughter. She couldn't control herself anymore. She burst through the door into the interrogation room.

"WHY? WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO IT?" Amy yelled at Ricky.

"What? What did I do?" Ricky asked, attempting to remain calm.

"YOU KILLED A.J.! YOU KILLED YOUR OWN DAUGHTER! SHE WAS YOUR OWN FLESH AND BLOOD! HOW COULD YOU?

"Listen here you little bitch!" Ricky whispered. "This is all your fault. If you had just kept an eye on your daughter, or better yet, your legs closed, neither of us would be in this position!" And with that, Ricky left.

Later that day…

Amy walked into the warehouse, a suitcase full of money in her hand. She knew the cops couldn't help her any more. It would be up to her to get her daughter back.

"Well hello Amy." A dark voice called out through the shadows. It sent a chill down her spine.

"Who are you? Where's A.J.?" Amy asked.

"Patience, my child. You'll get your daughter as soon as I get my money."

"I have your money. Would you like me to bring it to you?"

"Oh, no, no, no. I'll come and get it."

The figure walked out of the shadows, so Amy could see the face of the man that ruined her life.

"You?" Amy gasped.

**A/N: Cliffhanger! I am so evil! MWAHAHA! You'll have to wait until next chapter to find out who it was!**


End file.
